The Brotherhood

We've all heard about the brotherhood of police officers, firefighters and servicemen, but few know what that word truly means to the men and women of law enforcement. I have first hand experience with the brotherhood. I am married to a police officer in Maine. My husband has been with this current department for more than 14 years.

For years I knew he trusted his fellow officers. I told stories about his escapes. When his Lieutenant told him he'd better hit the gym to be a part of the SWAT team so that my husband could carry the Lieutenant's "fat ass" out of a building if it was needed, I laughed and repeated the story as most good storytellers would.

When officers get together to drink and blow off steam, they also regal stories about the calls they go on and the people they encounter. They are with their buddies and it's safe.
Now, there is camaraderie and there is brotherhood - there is a difference.

Our police department has been hit hard the last eight months. Two officers have died, one from a gun shot would and one of natural causes. When these tragedies happen, it tests the police department on every level.

I have never seen another group band together and rally around families like I saw after these men passed away. The first death was in May and because it was accidental people came from everywhere to celebrate his life and to show support for their brother. There was a parade of officers and the pictures of the sea of uniforms were amazing. I chose not to go to the funeral on that day. I did go to the calling hours the night before. A long line of officers and their spouses waited to express their sorrow to the wife and children.

Meals were made for the families, an officer in a marked car stood post outside the family home and scholarship funds were set up for the officer's children.

No one ever expects that something like this would happen to their family and we hope it never will, but when you're in the police department you are never alone.

At the funeral that took place last Saturday, the wife was in shock. Her 52-year-old husband of two years was dead. Regardless that she had only been married for two years, she was a part of us. As the wife of a police officer she was to be protected and will be helped.

Officers from many area agencies showed up to honor the 19-year-veteran of the police department. It was -26 degrees that morning, yet they solemnly lined the streets as the casket was brought into the auditorium.

It's hard to sit through something like that without thinking about my own husband and what I would do if something happened to him. Would I want them to play sappy music? Who would I want to speak about him and the man he was? What would I do with my children? It's morbid to consider, but it's the reality for a police officer's family.

The wives sat together at the funeral, much like the wives of professional athletes. We laughed when one man told us that the officer had once said at a home they were arresting someone at... "This crown molding would look great in my house."

And we held hands and cried as the American flag was given to the wife and the officer's badge was given to his 12-year-old daughter. It was truly heart breaking.

The brotherhood of police officers is a tight knit group of men and women who risk their lives every day for our safety. Until you are near that circle and touch inside the bubble, you can only imagine what it's like and hope that if some tragedy should happen in your family that you have the same kind of support.

To bring this all back around to writing, since this is a writing blog. Writer's tend to have a their own type of support system. When a new writer finds out that others hear voices and create their own worlds, it's a great relief to discover there are others like you. Only another writer/author knows what the disappointment of rejection feels like and the thrill of acceptance when a contract comes across her desk.

We all write about what we love and the things we know or have researched. When I wrote "Flashbangs and Nightsticks", I drew on my experiences with police officers and although I never dealt drugs, my husband did light a bed on fire with a flashbang.

Thanks for listening.
Jillian Hallowell
"Flashbangs and Nightsticks"
"Lace, Lust and Liars" Released today at http://www.carnalpassions.com/.
Police photos taken by Kelly Watters.